Worldwide phenomenon Will Smith revealed why he didn't return as Deadshot in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad. For those who don't know, The Suicide Squad was a 2021 follow-up to the 2016 film from David Ayer, Suicide Squad, and brought some of the surviving characters back from the previous film.
Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), and Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) were the only ones to make their return for The Suicide Squad, which is regarded as a soft reboot of the film franchise. Missing in action was Karen Fukuhara's Katana, Cara Delevingne's Enchantress, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's Killer Croc, Jared Leto's Joker, and Smith's Deadshot.
James Gunn's The Suicide Squad followed the previous film without rebooting everything but not acknowledging its predecessor either. When Idris Elba was reported to be cast in The Suicide Squad and no sign of Smith could be to be found, many shortsighted fans assumed Elba was taking on the role of Deadshot, while others assumed he would be another character such as Bronze Tiger. Turns out neither were true and the actor actually played a new character named Bloodsport, who is known for being an adversary of Superman.
Bloodsport took the lead spot in Gunn's The Suicide Squad as the 'captain' of the team. When doing a GQ interview, Smith went on to answer online fan questions, and one of them was about him not returning to the role of Deadshot. Many assumed that he didn't want to return due to the negative reactions toward Ayer's Suicide Squad, but this was not actually the case. Smith clarified by saying, "I was working and they were ready to shoot. It was a timing issue." The actor then asked the room to double-check if the role of Deadshot was given to Elba before responding, "Ok cool, I can come back," after finding out Elba is playing a new character entirely.
It would be cool to see Bloodsport and Deadshot square off against each other since they both have similar attributes in terms of combat skill. Both are on-point marksmen, quick thinkers, and very tactical on the field. Seeing these two characters team up would make the Suicide Squad a force to be reckoned with. With a new director and DC allowing them more creative freedom, the next film may be something that comic book fans are not ready for.
It would be nice to see DC diversify these two characters. Some felt Bloodsport was just chosen as a Deadshot replacement because Smith was unable to return. Having another morally conflicted marksman who's working to take care of their daughter on the outside of prison felt like a carbon copy for many fans. Bloodsport and Deadshot are both really cool characters, but DC needs to aim for individuality, not archetypes, for its next film.
The Suicide Squad is now playing in theaters.
Source: GQ/Youtube